


Steady as the Stars

by ragnarokdad



Series: Wild Wood River [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Dogs, M/M, Slow Burn, Stargazing, Victorian Attitudes, complete but updating in segments, long carriage rides, thor being a good brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-14 10:50:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14768190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragnarokdad/pseuds/ragnarokdad
Summary: The Social Season of 1890 has just begun, and Loki already despises every minute of it. At the first event that Thor drags him along to, Loki does not get along with one of the other patrons in the slightest. However, he soon finds out that this man, Steve Rogers, has moved around the corner from the Odinson villa.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello I have not written Marvel fics ever in my life so bear with me!! I've finished the fic, but will post it in segments, so I'm going to post a new chapter every two days. 
> 
> I wrote this as a birthday gift for my best pal, featuring all her favourite tropes (so I apologise if it is obvious that I know very little about Steve/Loki and Marvel haaa). I had fun writing it so I hope people have fun reading it!
> 
> Also, you can find me on [tumblr](http://intrepidety.tumblr.com/).

‘I do _not_ want to participate in this nonsense.’

Thor gently smacked his brother around the back of his head. ‘It’s not nonsense. It’s polite to attend at least one of these events a season, and I do not recall you making any effort at all last year.’

‘That’s because it’s nonsense,’ snapped Loki, and batted away Thor’s hand that was attempting to straighten the tie around Loki’s collar. ‘Stop _fiddling-‘_

‘Stop fussing,’ retorted Thor. He clapped Loki’s shoulder, who hunched forward and scowled in the mirror hanging in their hallway. Staring back were two men dressed to the nines, varying greatly in enthusiasm.

‘Don’t we look handsome,’ said Thor with a grin. ‘Come, the soiree awaits.’

Loki sighed, defeated, and turned on his heel to face the excessive double front doors, intricately decorated with the Odinson crest. Thor marched ahead outside and down the white staircase that led to the carriage waiting for them on the gravel path. Once Loki had clambered in alongside him, the carriage began to move along the drive, past the birch trees that decorated either side of the road that led up to the villa. It was the beginning of the Season, and while most of the occupants of the houses in the area had moved back to London, the Odinson brothers had opted to stay in the country for a little while longer. However, they were fortunate enough to be close enough that it wasn’t too much of a hassle to get to the bustling city.

Today, the journey was tedious. Being stuck in the confined carriage with his lively brother for a couple of hours would not do him any favours this afternoon. The scenery changed at a slow rate, with the rolling meadows making way for the occasional town. Thor was relatively quiet, but still radiated a chipper energy consistently throughout the ride.

‘You know, I think this trip will do you good,’ he said, halfway into the journey. Loki looked up from the book he had open on his lap, his mind elsewhere. ‘Hm?’

‘This trip,’ Thor repeated. ‘It’ll do you good. You’ll get to meet some of my friends. Maybe you’ll even make your own.’

Loki narrowed his eyes, and closed the book. ‘…Has Father put you up to this?’

‘What? No, of course not,’ Thor answered. ‘Well, he did want me to take you to town more often. But it’ll be fun! You can’t waste your life away in the country forever.’

‘No, you won’t let me,’ muttered Loki. ‘I do perfectly fine in the country.’

‘You’ll do even better in town,’ Thor insisted. ‘Think of the excitement! The plays! The possibilities! The romance!’

‘The countryside has romance,’ Loki retorted.

‘No, the countryside has cows. Cows are not romantic,’ replied Thor.

‘Well, if London is so romantic, how come _you’re_ still a bachelor?’ Loki rebutted with a smirk. 

Thor’s grin faded. ‘That’s not fair.’

‘No, that’s completely fair, Mister High-and-Mighty,’ Loki replied. ‘You spend most of the year in the villa, too, you know.’

Thor grumbled something about that Loki knew that he _had_ been engaged and that his brother was being insensitive, but Loki’s attention to the conversation had lapsed again, and he returned to his book. At least Thor would be quiet for the rest of the journey now. After another hour, they reached the edge of town, the carriage bumping along as the sandy paths made way for the cobbled streets. They left the sun behind in the countryside, and instead were greeted by a thick layer of clouds that ominously brewed over their heads. Nevertheless, Thor lit up as the streets grew busier.

Once they arrived at the Odinson townhouse, the pair clambered out and Loki grimaced as the wave of the unpleasant city air hit him. He stalked into the living area as their trunks were unloaded from the carriage and fell onto the chaise longue by the window. The London residence was considerably smaller than the country villa; crammed between identical houses in the square, the hallways were narrow and there was not even a garden to speak of. But at least it was the _fashionable_ side. Thor stood across from Loki, looking at him contemplatively.

Loki gave his brother a look. ‘What?’

‘Do you think this will be the year that you’ll finally cut your hair?’ asked Thor.

‘Not unless you wish for this to be the year that you mysteriously disappear and never return,’ Loki responded, instinctively running his hands over his shoulder-length hair that was neatly tied back in a ribbon.

Thor chuckled. ‘All I am saying is that it is 1890, not 1790, but your style does not seem to be aware of this.’

‘You envy me,’ countered Loki. ‘I saw your face after you had your hair cut.’

Thor started, and then stopped, unable to think of a clever response to his brother’s pointed remark. Loki smirked triumphantly.

* * *

 

The evening rolled around, and Thor had badgered his brother into wearing the brand-new suits that their father had sent to them for the commencement of the London Season. They had begun making their way towards the residence of the party, not bothering to take a carriage on this soft, spring evening.

‘I think you’ve met him before, he’s come to some of our gatherings,’ Thor said as they walked through the streets.

‘I’ll take your word for it,’ replied Loki, unconvinced. Thor halted in front of a door only a couple of streets away from their residence, smiling broadly as he knocked on the door. A butler let them in a moment later, leading them through the elaborate hallway to a set of double doors. The ballroom that they opened up to was not particularly big, a newer room with sleek, freshly painted décor. They were far from the first people to arrive.

‘T’Challa!’ greeted Thor, his voice booming through the room. A handsome man stepped forward from the crowd, smiling back at Thor and shaking his hand, saying, ‘I’m glad you could make it, my friend.’

‘So am I,’ replied Thor. ‘This is Loki. I believe you’ve met before?’

‘Pleasure,’ said Loki without a hint of pleasure in his voice, but politely shaking the host’s hand all the same.

‘Of course, your brother,’ replied T’Challa. ‘I hear you’re not fond of London; how lovely for you to have made the trip anyway.’

‘I see my reputation precedes me,’ Loki said, with a forced smile towards his brother.

T’Challa chuckled in response. ‘Enjoy tonight, both of you. If there’s anything that I can do for you, let me know.’

With these words, he turned to some other guests, and Thor pushed them along, further into the crowd. However, it did not take Loki long to find a corner where he could nurse his drink relatively undisturbed, watching the guests from afar. The conversations felt tiring, even from there. He could not bring himself to try and go along with them, no matter how many raised eyebrows Thor gave from across the room.

‘Quite the crowd, huh?’

Loki looked away from the couple that he was glaring at to see the offender who dared talk to him. What greeted him was a wall of a man, standing at his height but still intimidatingly broader than himself. He had rather kind eyes, Loki noticed.

‘You’re Thor’s brother, right?’ asked the man. He sounded foreign. American.

‘Yes,’ said Loki curtly.

‘Nice to meet you. I’m a friend of his,’ the stranger continued.

‘Most people here are.’

The blonde chuckled. ‘Not much of a talker, I take it?’

Loki shrugged in response.

‘I’m Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers.’

‘Pleasure,’ muttered Loki. ‘What brings you to this side of the world?’

‘I’ve just moved over, actually,’ Steve replied.

‘To London?’

‘Yeah. I’ve got a couple of old friends here.’

‘What went wrong in America?’ Loki asked, smirking slightly. Steve narrowed his eyes, looking a bit taken aback by the statement.

‘Nothing went wrong,’ Steve replied. ‘I was just growing tired of New York, is all.’

‘Alright,’ Loki said, unconvinced. ‘Quite a peculiar change, moving here by yourself.’

‘Are you implying something, here?’

Loki could see that Steve was ever so slightly hesitant, slightly… agitated. _How fun._

‘Nothing, Mr. Rogers,’ Loki answered innocently. ‘But a young bachelor, moving to a different continent, you must have done _something_ wrong in New York. But no matter, I’m sure whatever bodies you’ve buried- figuratively or literally- will come to light in due time.’

The other man frowned, but managed not to sound completely outraged when he stated, ‘You’re really different from your brother.’

‘So I’ve been told,’ Loki said simply. ‘Good evening to you, Mr. Rogers. May London treat you well.’

With that, Loki sauntered off, feeling the glare from Steve like daggers in his back. Smirking to himself, he left the ballroom and headed towards the front door, not bothering to say farewell to any of the other guests. The cool, evening air was a refreshing change from the expensive and positively vile perfumes that the patrons of the evening insisted on wearing. The claustrophobia of the ballroom finally began to fade as Loki made his way back to the townhouse. Thor would most likely not be home for a while. There was not a doubt that he’d give Loki hell for his behaviour tomorrow. _Oh well, so be it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is not very pleased when he finds out how Loki treated one of his friends at T'Challa's party.

Loki did not say anything that morning when he appeared in the dining room for breakfast. Thor was already seated there, plate heaping with food. He glared as his brother came in and sat down opposite him.

‘It is truly incredible how you cannot manage to go even one evening without insulting someone,’ Thor said in lieu of a greeting.

‘I did not insult anybody,’ replied Loki. ‘Not on purpose, anyway.’

‘I wasn’t born yesterday, Loki, I know very well that _you_ know very well what you did.’

‘He’ll be fine, he’s a grown man.’

‘I told him I would make sure that you apologised for your behaviour. He’s staying a couple of streets down, Belgrave square, number 159.’

Loki spluttered in his tea, coughed and glared at his brother. ‘Excuse me, I am not a child that needs to be told what to do by his elder brother! I will decide myself if this even warrants another conversation with this Rogers fellow, thank you very much.’

‘No, you will apologise,’ Thor retorted. ‘Are you aware that your actions do not only affect _you?_ I had to spend the evening repairing the damage you had done, you know.’

‘Damage? _Damage?_ It was barely an argument!’ Loki exclaimed. ‘This is why London is so rotten, everybody in this damned society makes a mountain out of a molehill.’

‘No, you drag a mountain of grief along with you every time I take you anywhere, and then everybody, including me, has to deal with that mountain!’ Thor shouted, now rising out of his seat. ‘You act like a child unless you get your way, it’s ridiculous! I was asking for _one night_ where you don’t create a schism between yourself and everyone you meet, honestly I feel like I’m taking over Father’s job-‘

Loki rose out of his seat as well, interrupting, ‘Am I really _that_ much of an inconvenience to you?’

‘Yes, frankly, you are!

‘Then don’t force me along to your damned events!

‘Fine, I won’t!’

‘Fine!’ Loki kicked the chair back and stormed out of the dining hall. In a fit of rage, he took to the streets, taking care to slam the doors as he did. It took him a chilly walk down the street to remember that he had left his coat back inside. He couldn’t go back now, though. That would be admitting defeat. At the end of their street, Loki paused, looking back at the house in a distance, wrapping his arms around himself. No. He would not turn back just yet. He’d take a walk, he decided, and go back in when Thor wasn’t paying attention or was out.

Loki breathed in deeply, regaining his composure as he continued his way through the streets. Thor was an idiot, and the infantilization was completely uncalled for, he thought. It was impossible for his brother to get it into his thick skull that Loki simply did not enjoy his circle of friends. Not even a thousand of these evening parties would ever change that.

But Thor meant well, Loki presumed. It was true that Loki did not have the same connections with society, and that their father would rather that he made a little more effort. To a degree, Thor was looking out for him. Keeping up appearances was what made Thor happy, and that was probably why he assumed Loki should participate, too.

Loki sighed, attempting to orientate himself after he had pulled himself out of his own thoughts. Upon seeing the street sign, he huffed irritably. Surely, it was chance and not his guilty subconscious that had led him to Belgrave Square. He wandered down the street, pretending not to notice the house numbers until he found himself outside of what was presumably Steven Rogers’ home. Loki stared at the door. Not in a million years would he even accept that his brother was correct, but there was a distant inkling that maybe he should… not apologise, per se, but iron out the creases from his first meeting with Mr. Rogers. With upmost hesitance, Loki stepped forward to the sober door of the residence. He was _not_ here to apologise, he reminded himself sternly. With a small burst of courage, Loki reached forward and knocked on the door. He waited patiently for a few moments. After another couple of beats, he knocked again. No answer.

‘So much for trying,’ Loki grumbled, attempting a half-hearted knock for the third time. Nothing. Well, at least he had tried. Even though he had too much pride to ever admit to his brother that he had so much as knocked on the door, Loki felt content with the attempt of a reconciliation. Rather pleased with himself, he turned around and headed back to the Odinson townhouse.

 

* * *

 

Thor had not been about for most of the day. This was somewhat beneficial to both the brothers, allowing for some time for their tempers to settle. By the time evening had fallen, Loki had sought comfort in the living room with a couple of books on the Classics. Planted on the chaise longue, he recognised the broad figure of his brother walking down the street in the dusk. A minute or so more, there was a gentle knock on his door, followed by Thor’s sheepish face peaking through.

‘Loki,’ he said. ‘Are you busy?’

‘Quite,’ replied Loki.

Taking no notice of his response, Thor walked through into the living room, sitting on the sofa across from the chaise longue.

‘I wanted to offer my apologies,’ said Thor. ‘About this morning. I believe we both were overreacting.’

‘You certainly were,’ muttered Loki.

‘I stand by what I said that you need to be more careful about how you actions affect others,’ continued his brother. ‘However, I should have been more tactful about it.’

Loki glanced up to Thor, who was uncomfortably fiddling with the sleeve of his coat. ‘Is that all?’

‘What did else did you expect?’

‘Well, you were awfully rude. You called me an inconvenience and said that I, how did you put it… drag a mountain of grief everywhere I go,’ Loki said, looking sternly at his brother.

‘Yes, you’re right, that was uncalled for,’ Thor mumbled, still not meeting Loki’s gaze.

‘It was.’

‘Can we make a compromise, though?’ asked Thor.

‘That depends.’

‘Well, I will try my best to act more civil towards you and your choices,’ Thor began. ‘As long as you make an effort to go to at least a few social events this season.’

Loki narrowed his eyes. ‘How many are a few?’

‘Three?’ Thor tried. ‘If you go to three, I won’t bother you at all about any other events.’

‘Three,’ repeated Loki. ‘Alright, three if you include yesterday.’

Thor paused, mulling over Loki’s offer. ‘Fine. If I can choose the next two.’

‘You can choose one, I can choose one,’ Loki rebutted.

‘Deal,’ Thor eventually decided. ‘Does that mean that you’ll move to London for the season as well?’

Loki grimaced. ‘That is a step too far, my dear brother. I might shrivel up and die of smog poisoning.’

‘Well, two visits up to London is better than none at all.’

‘Yes. How very exciting.’

Thor smiled, getting up from the sofa and leaning over to Loki to clap him on his shoulder. ‘I’m glad you’re willing to give it a try.’

Loki rolled his eyes at his brothers sentiment, but smiled back nonetheless. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new neighbour has moved into the area near the Odinson villa.

The journey back to the country was a lot less satisfying without a brother to annoy. It was not that Loki wished that he had stayed in town a little longer, but it was always significantly quieter without somebody to argue with. Not that Loki would ever tell his brother this.

By the time that he had arrived back at the country villa, Loki was pleased to breathe in the fresh air. It smelt of rain- the type of rain that signified that summer was on its way, thick and rich in combination with the flora and the residues of mist hovering over the grass. Once his trunk had been taken inside, he made his way into a corner on the first floor where his favourite sofa was, looking out through the large bay window. From here, he had a clear sight into the wooded area behind the villa. There was a path running through there, almost concealed through the bushes, that Loki often enjoyed walking through.

Mulling over the events of his trip as he gazed outside, Loki could not help but feel a sense that something was missing in the house. This was the first time in months- no, over a year- that it was just him here. Since his father had moved back out of the country in the winter of last year, Loki had grown accustomed to having just his brother living in the house. However, with Thor gone as well, it was strange to not have a single member of his family with him. It was just Loki. And the household staff, granted. But it wasn’t quite the same; the staff wouldn’t argue with him if he attempted to annoy them or distract them from their work, they would simply grin and bear it.

There was something moving in the forest, Loki realised, pulling himself out of his thoughts. Sitting upright, he leant closer to the window screen. Yes, there was indeed something outside. At first, it looked like a fox, but then Loki realised it was too large to be a fox. Through a gap in the trees, he could see it scampering through the undergrowth, its tail wagging vigorously. It was a _dog._ A red and white Springer, jumping through the bushes and snuffling at every tree and rock it passed. After a moment, the animal came to an abrupt halt, looking in the direction it had come from. There, appeared the figure out a man, marching to keep up with it. A beat later, the dog was running through the woods again. Loki watched the pair as they walked closer towards the back of the villa. The dog had made it to the garden wall, and gave a short bark, before it ran onwards. Its owner came into view, clearer now that the trees had given way. Loki’s eyes widened when he recognised the blonde hair and handsome face of the man he had insulted only two nights ago. Groaning, Loki lay back on the sofa. Out of all places that Steve Rogers could have gone to in England, he was _here?_

‘Perhaps he’s visiting somebody in the country,’ Loki muttered to himself. Nevertheless, he kept watching the other man from his window, until he and the dog were out of sight.

 

* * *

 

The following day, Loki wandered past the window every so often. Between his journeys from his writing desk and the lounge, he made sure to pause and see if he could see the American. Truth be told, he was dying to know what Steve’s business was in this neck of the woods, and there was little to distract him from his investigation through the bay window. Late in the afternoon, Loki wandered past the window and took a seat on the sofa, book in hand. It happened to be around the same time that Loki saw Steve yesterday. Not that that was the reason he was sitting there, of course. 

Every now and then, he caught himself glancing out of the window, mind straying from the book he was reading. After an hour or so, he saw it again. The dog was scurrying through the forested area, close to the garden wall. Like the previous day, it paused. Unlike the previous day, it looked up, and saw Loki in the windowsill. Loki stood up, leaning forward and smiling at it. Most likely startled by the movement, the dog barked a couple of times until there was a sharp whistle. Several yards behind it was Steve again. Loki started to move away from the window, then stopped, and then started once more. He wasn’t quite sure what his plan was, but he was propelling himself forward, outside, to the garden.

Once there, he crossed the yard to the gate that led onto the forest path. After another moment of hesitation, Loki stepped outside. He could see the familiar frame of the other man disappearing ahead of him. Loki cleared his throat, and called, ‘Mr. Rogers!’

Steve turned around, looking quite startled. His eyes widened even more when he saw Loki standing just outside of the garden wall.

‘Oh, Loki- Mr. Odinson,’ he exclaimed. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I live here,’ replied Loki. ‘You’re not the first to discover this place, you know. I know you Americans like to think that with most areas you go to.’

Steve frowned, looking unsure as how to reply to that. ‘You live here? As in over there?’

He pointed at the villa behind the garden wall. Loki nodded.

‘I knew that Thor lived in the area,’ said Steve. ‘I didn’t realise you lived here, too.’

‘We reside in the same house,’ Loki replied. ‘It’s our father’s.’

‘Oh, is that so?’ said Steve, smiling pleasantly. ‘I’ll be sure to stop by some time, then, and say hello.’

Loki stopped himself from snarking a reply, and cleared his throat, before asking, ‘So are you staying here for long, then?’

‘Yeah, I kind of moved out here,’ Steve said sheepishly.

‘Kind of? How do you _kind of_ move?’

‘Okay then uh, I moved out here properly,’ said Steve. ‘I never really wanted to stay in London permanently. It was actually your brother who helped me find a place here, just outside of the town.’

‘Oh, how kind of him,’ muttered Loki.

‘Yeah, it was really kind of him. He’s really good guy, your brother.’

‘Yes, usually,’ Loki said. ‘Except for when he goes around helping people like _you_ find houses next to ours.’

Loki had most definitely attempted to say that in a joking manner, and by the frown that crossed over Steve’s face, that had most definitely backfired.

‘People like me?’ asked Steve.

Loki was most definitely too proud to apologise for his actions. ‘Yes, people like you. Enigmatic Americans who come to England but are too mysterious to disclose why.’

Steve looked rather exasperated, and sighed, before saying, ‘You’re a really weird guy, you know that? I feel like you’re insulting me every second sentence.’

‘Good, so you’re finally catching on,’ said Loki with a smirk.

‘No wonder you stay all the way out here in the country, if you’re so sceptical of strangers.’

‘Oh, don’t get me wrong, Mr. Rogers, I’m not sceptical of strangers, just sceptical of you,’ Loki retorted. ‘And might I point out, _you’re_ all the way out here in the country as well.’

‘Touché,’ said Steve.

‘What’s its name?’ asked Loki, pointing at the dog that was sniffing around in the shrubbery.

‘Jenny,’ answered Steve with a small smile. ‘She’s not actually mine, but the grocer’s. I offer to walk her while she’s working.’

‘Bit of a scrappy dog, don’t you think?’

‘You’re really into insulting everything you meet, aren’t you?’

Loki shrugged in response.

‘Well, if it’s all the same to you,’ said Steve. ‘I’m going to head back again. Nice to see you again, sort of.’

‘Goodbye, Mr. Rogers,’ said Loki, with a wave. Steve had already turned around, walking away from the garden wall. Loki grimaced to himself. Again, he felt the foreign feeling of guilt snare him. Part of him had wanted to apologise to the man. Perhaps Loki was simply not cut out to be honest.

The following day, when Loki sat at the windowsill in the afternoon, he did not see the dog scamper through the woods followed by the blonde man, no matter how long he held watch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve needs Thor for a rescue mission, but gets his snarky little brother instead.

Thor returned two days after Loki had spoken to Steve. Loki had scowled at his brother when he pulled him into a massive hug, but he was glad that there was a little more presence in the villa now. After Loki had wrestled himself out of his brother’s arms, Thor presented him with an envelope, smiling triumphantly. It was intricately decorated with some strange, modernist pattern, addressed to the Odinson family. Loki opened the envelop, read it, and then gave it back to Thor, pointedly saying, ‘No.’

‘You actually don’t get a say in the matter,’ Thor said cheekily. ‘Remember our compromise? I was allowed to choose one event, and this is my event.’

‘But a _garden party?_ At the _Stark_ residence? You know I cannot stand that man,’ Loki retorted. ‘You’re doing this on purpose.’

‘Of course I am,’ said Thor. ‘But it’ll be entertaining.’

‘You say that about _every_ party.’

‘And have I ever been wrong?’

‘Countless times.’  

Thor laughed loudly, and clapped Loki on the shoulder. Loki looked less pleased. ‘At least I have two weeks to emotionally prepare myself for this tomfoolery.’

 

* * *

 

Much like Loki’s mood, the weather turned foul as the week dragged on. The tail end of March brought sudden showers interspersed with shots of sunlight, the temperature as unpredictable as the weather. Thor would leave to go hunting or hiking with Doctor Banner or Steve when it was sunny, and return drenched to the bone. The unfortunate combination had caused him to catch a cold, and Loki found him one morning sneezing five times in a row in the lounge.

‘For heaven’s sake, go see Banner about this,’ insisted Loki. ‘You’ll catch your death and then probably spread it to me.’

‘That was almost empathetic of you, dear brother,’ said Thor huskily. Loki rolled his eyes and threw Thor’s scarf at him as his brother donned his coat.

‘Go see the doctor,’ repeated Loki.

‘I am, we’re going riding this afternoon,’ says Thor with a grin.

‘About the _cold.’_

Thor merely laughed but nodded. ‘Do not worry, I’ll see to it that I don’t spread a plague here.’

‘Good,’ replied Loki, looking disgusted as Thor sneezed for the umpteenth time. Thor laughed again, and waved as he left the lounge. Loki didn’t look up as he left, and before too long he moved to the study to resume his work. The quiet had settled into the air around him, and when he glanced out of the window, he saw the looming clouds of oncoming rain hover afar. Loki pulled himself out of the creaky desk chair and went back to the lounge. He had just sunk into the sofa when there was an abrupt knock on the door. Loki frowned. He knew for a fact that he wasn’t expecting anyone. Maybe if he left it, the person would go away, he thought. A second later, there was a more insistent knock. Sighing dramatically, Loki took to his feet and dragged himself to the front door.

Standing on the steps was an extremely flustered Steve Rogers. He looked a bit taken aback when Loki opened the door.

‘May I help you?’ asked Loki curtly.

‘Your brother- is Thor home?’ asked Steve quickly.

Loki shook his head and replied, ‘No, he’s out.’

‘Do you know when he’ll be back?’

‘I haven’t the foggiest.’

Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Damn.’

‘What seems to be the issue?’ Loki asked, against his better judgement.

‘There’s just… well, there’s a small emergency,’ said Steve, running his hand through his hair. ‘Uh, you’ve met Jenny, right?’

‘We’re talking about May’s dog here, correct?’

‘Yes,’ Steve continued. ‘Well, I sort of… lost her.’

‘Oh dear,’ said Loki understatedly. ‘That is quite the conundrum.’

‘Yeah, and I know Thor’s familiar with this place, and I was hoping he could help look for her,’ Steve says. ‘But I guess I’ll have to do it myself.’

‘Hm, yes, quite a shame,’ muttered Loki.

Steve paused, and looked at Loki. ‘Unless you’re not busy…?’

Loki sighed, contemplating the options, and answered, ‘Well, I could be in a warm, comfortable and dry home, or I could be out in an oncoming storm looking for a dog that might very well find its own way home.’

Steve’s face visibly fell as he said this, and somewhere deep from within him, Loki felt a twinge.

‘I suppose I cannot let you die in the woods by yourself, however,’ he eventually added. ‘Let me grab my coat.’

Steve lit up, and exclaimed, ‘Thanks! Really, I appreciate the effort, I’m sure if we’re quick we can make it back before it starts raining.’

‘That,’ said Loki, as he sauntered inside to fetch his outerwear, ‘Is something I highly doubt.’

Loki followed Steve at a leisurely pace, who was far more frantic than the other. Steve marched ahead, along the path that led through the trees. The leaves had been growing back at an incredible rate due to the poor but warm weather, and if it weren’t for the threatening rain clouds, it would have been beautiful. The signs of summer were ever present as flowers began shooting out of the ground, though they would most likely be stifled by the lack of sunlight on the forest floor. Looking up, Loki realised that Steve had taken a sharp left turn and was now off the beaten path.

‘Are you sure that’s a wise idea?’ called Loki.

‘No, but desperate times call for desperate measures,’ Steve replied, without looking back.

Loki sighed, and followed Steve into the denser forest. ‘All this for a dog.’

He strayed slightly from Steve, to cover more ground, and admired the new undergrowth and leaves around him. Steve, on the other hand, was calling the dog’s name, and maintaining his insistent speed farther and farther away from the path. After a while, Loki paused as he heard rustling in the undergrowth.

‘Jenny?’ he asked half-heartedly. A head popped out from behind a bush. Jenny. In her mouth she was holding the mangled corpse of what was once a rabbit.

‘Good God,’ muttered Loki. ‘You are far more savage than I thought.’

The dog simply shook her head, and a speckle of flesh tore of what looked like the rabbit’s leg.

‘Well,’ Loki said, not having the slightest idea of how to address the dog. ‘Come along, then.’

He turned and began walking in the direction that Steve had run off to, and turned around. Jenny was looking back with big, expressionless eyes.

‘Follow me,’ Loki tried again. He walked a little further and looked back. This time, Jenny seemed to understand what was going and bounded after Loki, running ahead of him before stopping to dissect the animal in her mouth. Loki could hear the unappetizing crunch of bones as she dismantled the unfortunate creature. Looking around, he realised that he had lost sight of his companion.

‘Find one idiot, lose the other,’ said Loki to the dog. ‘You don’t happen to be related to a blood hound, do you? Can you sniff out your friend? Can you even understand what I’m saying?’

Jenny looked up for a second as Loki talked, before going back to her far more important mission of turning her rabbit to dust. Loki felt a droplet of rain fall through the branches.

‘Fantastic,’ he sighed. ‘Let’s get a move on, then, maybe we’ll meet Mr. Rogers on the way.’

He continued through the forest as it began to drizzle, aiming for what would hopefully result in the forest path. Jenny seemed to be enjoying the affair and ran around excitedly as Loki cursed when his ankles brushed against some brambles. The intensity of the rain was beginning to increase now. Jenny barked excitedly and sped off a moment later, and Loki groaned as he marched after the animal. This was far too much effort to be going through today.

‘Oh, there you are, buddy!’

Loki heard the familiar voice as he walked onwards, and soon saw the striking figure of Steve ahead. Relief washed over him, he called, ‘Thank _God._ I was beginning to think you’d fallen down some foxhole.’

Steve looked up in surprise when he saw Loki before smiling broadly. ‘So you two found each other, that’s fantastic.’

‘Yes, yes, we’re all very happy, now let’s go before this weather worsens,’ said Loki grumpily. ‘Do you remember where we came from?’

‘Yeah, follow me,’ Steve answered as he began marching through the forest. Loki followed, trying his best to keep up and not express his discomfort and the rain began to soak through his jacket. Jenny, meanwhile, did not seem to mind the weather one bit, and was rolling around in the muddied puddles that were forming around them. After ten minutes, as the rain came down heavier than ever, they finally reached the forest path.

‘Are you okay?’ asked Steve, looking back at his companion, who was shivering, completely and utterly drenched.

‘Yes, fine,’ Loki snapped. ‘Let’s just hurry.’

Steve paused, before taking off his jacket, and wrapping it around Loki’s shoulders. ‘There.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Loki muttered, taking it off of his shoulders and attempting to pass it back to Steve. ‘It’s drenched, it won’t do me any good.’

‘It’ll keep you warm,’ Steve replied, not taking the coat back and turning around to walk on.

‘No, it will not,’ insisted Loki, but he placed it back around himself nonetheless and followed Steve. They reached the garden wall after a couple more minutes of walking. Loki opened the gate and walked through, leaving it open for Steve to follow him.

Steve paused at the gate, and said, ‘I should probably be bringing Jenny back.’

‘You probably should, but you should probably also change into something that won’t give you pneumonia. Come on, I’m sure Thor has something that’ll fit you,’ said Loki. Jenny, meanwhile, had already bounded through the gate, and was sniffing through the garden as if she was on some sort of treasure hunt.

‘I don’t want to intrude, I’ve bothered you enough today,’ Steve insisted.

‘I’m _inviting_ you, so you are not intruding,’ Loki replied with a sigh. ‘Come along now, we’ve spent enough time in the rain as is.’

Finally convinced, Steve followed Loki through the gate and into the villa.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of being caught in the rain.

Upstairs, Loki was rummaging through Thor’s wardrobe and closet, picking out the items of clothing that he knew his brother cherished most. He himself had changed into a warmer, drier ensemble himself, and was searching for something that would fit his guest. Once Loki had made a selection, he went back downstairs, grabbing a couple of towels from the linen closet along the way. Steve was in the lounge, politely standing to the side to avoid dripping on everything. Jenny was on the carpet, lying on her back and wagging her tail as Loki approached. Loki grimaced when he saw the muddy stains that she was leaving.

‘Maybe we should keep her outside,’ suggested Steve when he saw Loki’s expression.

‘The damage has already been done,’ Loki answered, and lay the clothes and towels down on the ottoman that Steve was standing next to. Taking one of the towels, he went over to the dog and tried to dry her off a bit, caking the towel in mud.

‘There’s a bathroom down the hall if you wish- oh, Mr. Rogers!’ exclaimed Loki, as he got up and turned around to see Steve standing shirtless as he changed into the clothes Loki had brought him.

‘Sorry,’ said Steve with a sheepish smile. ‘Thought I’d avoid tracking more mud through the house. You don’t mind, do you?’

‘No, no, go ahead,’ Loki said, turning away politely, feeling his cheeks redden a touch.

‘I’m used to barracks,’ said Steve. ‘I forget that you Englishmen are a little more, uh, conservative.’

‘Barracks?’ asked Loki. ‘You’re a military man?’

‘I was,’ replied Steve. ‘I retired a year ago. You can turn around now, by the way.’

Loki did as he was told. Thor’s clothes fit Steve well; they were more tailored than what he had seen Steve wear most of the time.

Clearing his throat, Loki said, ‘Here, it doesn’t look like the rain will be letting up anytime soon. May I offer you some tea?’

‘Sure,’ Steve answered. ‘I’ve got to say, Mr. Odinson, you’re a lot more accommodating than I expected.’

Loki pursed his lips, and said, ‘I can be hospitable when I want to be.’

As he sent a staff member for some tea, he and Steve took a seat in the lounge. Jenny had fallen asleep on the carpet, and occasionally barked softly as she dreamt of slaying more rabbits. Steve looked at her fondly and leant down to scratch her ear.

‘Why don’t you have a dog of your own, Mr. Rogers?’ asked Loki. ‘You seem suited for one.’

‘I’ll probably get one, eventually,’ said Steve. ‘I’m just getting settled here first. And call me Steve, by the way.’

‘Where is it you’re staying?’

‘In one of the houses in the town,’ Steve replied. ‘Across the road from the doctor’s.’

Loki nodded, ‘Ah, Doctor Banner.’

‘Yeah, he’s a nice guy.’

‘You’re not moving to London for the Season, then, I take it?’ asked Loki.

Steve shook his head. ‘No, no. I’ll travel up and down, sure, but I’d rather stay in one place. This year, anyway.’

Tea and some additional tidbits were brought out for the two of them. As Steve took his cup and saucer, inspecting the frail china, he asked, ‘Do you and Thor work?’

‘A little,’ replied Loki. ‘I write for the periodicals, Thor works with my father in trade. He’s the main point of contact in England now that my father has moved back to Oslo.’

‘Oh, is that where you’re from?’

‘Father is,’ said Loki. ‘And Thor was born there, but we were both raised in England.’

‘Do you visit Oslo often?’

With a shake of his head, Loki replied, ‘I don’t. Thor does occasionally, more often than I do. There is nothing for me there, however.’

‘Your father?’ Steve suggested.

‘Spending time with him is a hassle. He spends visits of any kind badgering me for not finding a wife or not wearing my hair short or not living in London or something similar,’ Loki replied with a hollow laugh.

‘Neither does Thor, though.’

‘Yes, but Thor tries,’ Loki replied. ‘And in his defence, he _was_ engaged.’

‘He was? What happened?’ asked Steve, before adding hurriedly, ‘If I may be so bold to ask, of course.’

‘They broke off the engagement when Thor refused to move to the States,’ said Loki.

‘Ah, fair enough,’ Steve said. ‘Moving is quite the change, I should know.’

‘Do you enjoy it here?’ asked Loki.

Steve nodded. ‘Yeah, I think I made a good choice coming here. For the time being, at least.’

Loki smiled softly at his response, sipping his tea. This was turning into a rather pleasant afternoon, he thought to himself. That was, until there was a loud bang from the front door and a large deal of ruckus from the hallway. Thor barged through, shoes wet, holding an unfolded umbrella and tracking rainwater through the room.

‘Steven!’ he boomed when he spotted the blonde man sitting in his living room. ‘What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here? And with Loki, nonetheless. Is that my shirt you’re wearing?’

‘We had a bit of an adventure today,’ answered Steve with a laugh. He stood up to shake Thor’s hand, but the other man pulled him into a hug, clapping him on the back.

‘Ah, the prodigal son returns’ muttered Loki dryly.

‘Oh good heavens, a dog,’ exclaimed Thor and Jenny bounded up to greet him. ‘Isn’t this Parker’s dog?’

‘It is,’ Steve replied. ‘I really should be returning her, May must be worried.’

‘Oh, a shame,’ said Thor. ‘Well, we must catch up soon, Steven. I’ll come by your house tomorrow.’

‘Please do,’ Steve said with a smile. ‘Come on, Jenny, let’s get you home.’

‘I’ll let you out,’ Loki said, getting up from his seat and walking Steve to the hallway, which now also had several pools of stray rainwater.

‘I’ll see to it that Thor brings your clothes with him tomorrow,’ said Loki, as he opened the front door for Steve and Jenny.

‘Thanks,’ Steve replied. ‘For everything. Sorry to drag you out in the rain like that.’

‘It’s quite alright, Mr. Rogers,’ said Loki.

‘Steve,’ the other man reminded him. ‘I’ll see you around?’

‘I’m sure you will,’ Loki said, as Steve and Jenny walked through the door. Steve waved, and continued down the gravel road outside.

 

* * *

 

The following afternoon, as Loki was working in his study, Thor came through without so much as a knock to announce his presence. Loki glowered at his brother as he did so, but Thor simply ignored him and looked triumphant and he held up an envelope with Loki’s name on it.

‘Someone has an admirer,’ he taunted.

Loki hardened his glare even more, unamused. ‘Give it to me, then.’

‘Aren’t you curious from who it is?’ asked Thor.

‘I’m sure I’ll find out once you hand it to me.’

‘You’re no fun, brother,’ Thor said. ‘It’s from Steven, he sends his regards.’

‘You ruined the surprise,’ muttered Loki as Thor handed him the envelope.

‘In all honesty, I’m glad you’re making friends,’ said Thor with a smile. ‘Steven told me what happened yesterday. You’re not as stone-hearted as you make yourself out to be after all, Loki.’

‘And I try so hard to keep it up,’ Loki murmured as he read the letter.

Thor leant over his brother’s shoulder. ‘What did he say?’

Loki held the letter to his chest with one hand and batted Thor away with the other. ‘Don’t be so nosy, it’s none of your business. He’s simply thanking me for yesterday.’

‘How kind,’ Thor said, sitting down in the chair next to Loki’s desk. ‘Should we get a dog, do you think? Jenny was so fun. Maybe it would help you bond with more people, you know. You could go on missing dog hunts all the time.’

‘I still haven’t recovered from yesterday, so that is absolutely out of the question,’ Loki retorted. ‘A cat, maybe.’

‘No, cats are stupid,’ Thor said. As he began listing reasons why a dog would be a good idea, Loki reread the letter again.

_Dear Loki,_

_Thanks for your help yesterday. It really meant a lot to me that you went through the effort of helping me despite the weather and such. It was also nice to see a different side of you._

_We should have lunch sometime._

_Regards,_

_Steve_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a wee note to say that this chapter has the situation that inspired this entire fic and I loved writing it so much. 
> 
> And of course, true to someone who is a Pacific Rim fan more than anything, I'm going to have some romantic correspondence.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stark's garden party is about as entertaining as one can expect.

_Loki-_

_To answer the question in your previous letter, I might go to Mr. Stark’s party, but I’m not entirely sure yet. I’m not really fond of the man myself, but it would be nice to see some of my London-based friends. And you, of course._

_I might see you there!_

_Steve_

Loki read over the note again. _And you, of course_. A smile played on his lips. There was a knock on his study door as Thor, who had unfortunately recovered from his cold, poked his head through. ‘Are you ready to leave?’

‘Yes, yes,’ said Loki quickly, as he placed the last of his books in the trunk.

‘Did you receive another love-letter?’ teased Thor with a grin, as he came in and snatched the note from Loki’s hand. ‘Ah, just as I thought. With the amount you two have written each other this week I’m surprised he hasn’t asked Father for your hand in marriage yet.’

‘ _Stop_ it,’ Loki said grumpily, trying to grab the note back.

‘Oh, he might be at the party! How fantastic, you two can bond about your shared hatred for Stark,’ Thor said with a laugh. ‘I must say, you write him a lot but your correspondence is a lot more boring than with the Grand-‘

‘Do _not_ talk about that man,’ snapped Loki, becoming increasingly agitated. ‘Do _not_ tease me, and do _not_ read my correspondence!’

‘You read my correspondence, don’t pretend you don’t,’ replied Thor, chuckling. ‘Where do I put this? Do you have a special box dedicated to Steven’s letters?’

‘Just give it back!’ Loki snapped as he attempted to grab it out of Thor’s hand again. He snagged the corner of the paper, and the letter ripped in two. ‘Oh, look what you did!’

‘ _You_ did that,’ Thor retorted. ‘If you had asked politely, I would have given it back.’

‘You are acting like a child!’ shouted Loki. 

‘Now you know what it feels like, living with you,’ Thor answered with a grin. Loki was almost shaking with rage, but attempted to contain himself, as he huffed and took the two halves of the letter and threw them in the bin.

‘I do not understand why you have to be so damningly condescending over a friendship,’ Loki said through gritted teeth.

Thor shrugged. ‘I do not mean to be condescending, merely playful.’

‘You’re a nuisance,’ Loki muttered.

‘Come on, brother,’ said Thor, as he wrapped an arm around Loki’s shoulder and directed him outside to the carriage. ‘I intend no malice, you know that. I’m glad you have a friend. But I also know your, ah, affections. I can tell that you’re rather fond of Steve.’

‘I do not know what you’re referring to,’ Loki answered, feeling his cheeks redden.

‘Of course you don’t,’ Thor said with a knowing smile as the two clambered into the carriage.

 

* * *

 

The Stark residence in London was far too extravagant, even for Loki. There was a sinfonia playing on the small stage in the garden, but it could hardly be seen through the sizeable crowd that had gathered for the occasion. They had been graced with a lovely afternoon, however, at the white flowers that decorated the gates and the garden arches looked beautiful in the spring sun. Candelabras had been placed throughout the garden, a rather useless decoration for the middle of the day. There was an extravagant table with a beautiful array of food that nobody had touched yet.

Loki had found himself in a conversation with Thor, Doctor Banner and Valkyrie, and was pleased with the familiarity of the group, despite the conversation being dull. He kept glancing about through the crowd, attempting to do so inconspicuously as he did so. 

This proved not to be as inconspicuous as he hoped, as Valkyrie soon asked, ‘Is there somebody you’re looking for, Loki?’

Loki shook his head, ‘No, not at all.’ Thor looked at him and raised an eyebrow, but Loki glared back in an effort to keep his brother quiet.

‘…As I was saying,’ continued Bruce, not taking mind to the interruption. ‘The man is giving a series of lectures in May, I’m sure it would be an interesting excursion.’

Loki had soon stopped paying attention to the conversation again, when Thor nudged his side, and nodded into the direction. Following his gaze, Loki saw that his brother had noticed Steve, talking to some woman with red hair a couple of yards away from them.

‘Yes, alright,’ muttered Loki.

‘Aren’t you going to talk to him?’

‘Why? There’s no rush,’ replied Loki. ‘Stop pressing me.’

‘Talk to who?’ asked Valkyrie.

‘Nobody,’ said Loki quickly.

‘Now you’ve peaked my interest,’ said the girl.

‘Loki made a friend,’ Thor said with a pleased smile.

‘ _Leave_ it, Thor,’ Loki snapped.

‘Oh, how exciting,’ said Valkyrie with a grin. ‘Who is this secret friend?’

‘Nobody,’ repeated Loki.

‘Steven Rogers,’ said Thor, at the same time. Loki glared at his brother for the umpteenth time that day.

‘He’s not a friend, we had tea _once_ , and now Thor is acting like an arse about it,’ Loki muttered.

‘Well, go talk to him, he’s right there,’ Bruce said, now also becoming involved in the business.

‘No,’ Loki said stubbornly. ‘I’ll talk to him _when_ and _if_ I want to talk to him.’

With those words, he stalked off, leaving the other three behind him.

As the party continued, Loki successfully managed to anger only one guest, to his disappointment but to his brother’s pleasure, some man named Strange who was simply asking to be quarrelled with. He avoided Thor for most of the afternoon, but as the evening fell, he wondered if his brother would be heading back home anytime soon. As Loki searched for Thor, he spotted Steve standing next to one of the arches, talking with Tony Stark, the host of the evening. Steve looked rather strained, and always one for watching an argument unfold, Loki walked up to the pair.

‘Mr Stark,’ he said with a smirk. ‘What a lovely party you organised today.’

‘Loki!’ greeted Tony. ‘I wasn’t expecting seeing you here, how are ya? Have you met Steve? He’s from New York as well, moved here a month ago.’

‘Yes, we live in the same area,’ replied Steve.

‘Oh, you live out in the country?’ Tony said. ‘Was London too much for you? I didn’t know you were taking retirement so literally.’

‘I just prefer it there,’ Steve said. ‘Anyway, I’ve got to be going, thanks for the invite-‘

‘Why did you retire, anyway?’ asked Tony, as if Steve hadn’t said anything.

Steve sighed. ‘I’m sure you already know the answer to that question, Stark.’

‘Well, yeah, I’ve heard rumours,’ Tony said with a grin. ‘Just wanted to hear it from the source himself.’

Steve grimaced. ‘It was just time for me to leave,’ he said curtly. ‘Just like it’s time for me to leave now.’

‘Okay, okay,’ Tony said. ‘Well, see you around, Cap. Thanks for stopping by. Loki.’

With a nod to the two of them, Tony walked off to annoy somebody else in the crowd.

‘He’s such an ass,’ muttered Steve. Loki nodded sympathetically. ‘That, he is.’

‘I don’t know what I expected, to be honest,’ Steve continued. ‘He was terrible in New York, I don’t know why I thought he would be different in London.’

Loki laughed slightly. ‘Well, now you know.’

‘Have you been here all afternoon? I haven’t seen you at all,’ said Steve.

‘I have, I spotted you briefly at midday,’ Loki replied. ‘It is a ridiculously large party, though.’

Steve nodded in agreement, looking at the strum of guests that were steadily becoming louder as alcohol continued to flow.

‘Hey, want to go for a walk?’ he asked after a moment. ‘I don’t really feel like going home yet, but I’ll be damned if I stay here any longer.’

‘Of course,’ Loki said with a smile. ‘I wasn’t enjoying myself here any more than you were, if I am completely honest.’

‘Good,’ answered Steve. ‘Well, not good, but I’m glad you’ll accompany me.’

Steve headed towards the garden gates and out into the streets of the outskirts of London as the streetlights began to turn on, and Loki followed close behind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki shows Steve London, as well as a different side of himself.

The streets around the Stark residence were not too busy, thankfully. At this hour, the handful of people walking the streets were making their way back from wherever they had spent their day.

‘This is a nice part of the city,’ Steve said, as he strolled along with Loki.

Loki shrugged. ‘It’s alright. There are nicer areas.’

‘I thought you hated all of London?’ Steve said with a grin.

‘I do,’ insisted Loki. ‘But there are some lovely areas. Here, follow me.’

Loki took a left turn, leading Steve through some alleys.

‘You seem to know your place around pretty well,’ Steve commented.

‘I do,’ answered Loki. ‘I used to live here.’

‘You don’t say? For some reason, I never imagined you living in the city.’

‘Quite the contrary. I lived in this city for a large part of my childhood,’ said Loki as he continued to lead Steve through the streets.

‘In the townhouse that you live in now?’ asked Steve.

Loki shook his head in response. ‘No, closer to the river.’

‘Oh, really? I thought Thor mentioned something about coming to the townhouse since he was a child,’ said Steve.

Loki paused for a moment, before saying, ‘I did not live with the Odinson family until I was eight years old.’

‘Oh, right,’ said Steve. ‘I didn’t know that.’

Without another word on the subject, Loki continued winding through the streets until they reached the walls of Regent Park.

‘Is this safe at night?’ Steve asked as he walked through the gate with Loki.

‘You’re not scared, are you, Mr. Rogers?’ asked Loki with a smirk. ‘A military man such as yourself?’

Steve rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

‘Besides,’ continued Loki. ‘You were far more likely to be pickpocketed on the way to the park than in the park itself.’

‘Alright, well, you evidently know London better than I do, so I trust you,’ Steve said, as the pair of them walked along the trail through the park. There were a couple of lights that illuminated the trees, but the moon was full and bright and shone down on the two as they made their way over the dirt road. They were pleasantly quiet for a little while, before Steve said, ‘I had no idea you and Thor weren’t real brothers. Sure, you don’t look like each other, sure, but you act really similarly.’

‘We are real brothers,’ Loki replied, almost defensively.

‘Yeah, you are now, I just assumed you’d always been part of the Odinson family, with how well you and Thor get along,’ Steve said. ‘Who did you live with before? Your family?’

‘Yes, when I was little,’ Loki said. ‘My mother died, so I lived on the streets for a couple of years until Odin found me and took me in.’

‘Oh. How did you survive? Surely you would have to find some kind of work or something to keep yourself alive.’

‘Pickpocketing,’ said Loki, and held up his hand. He was holding Steve’s wallet, a simple, leather one that he had nicked in anticipation of the question only a moment earlier.

‘Hey!’ Steve took the wallet back from him, laughing slightly. ‘I see you haven’t lost the touch.’

‘It’s a rather useless skill now that I am part of the Odinson family,’ admitted Loki. ‘But maybe I can pass it along to my children some day.’

Steve snorted with laughter. They had reached Primrose Hill and began climbing up it.

‘Now it is my turn for invasive questioning,’ said Loki with a smirk. ‘What was Tony alluding to? Why did you leave the military?’

Steve smile fell as Loki asked this. ‘It didn’t agree with me.’

‘That much I gathered,’ Loki answered dryly.

‘I lost someone close to me last year,’ Steve said in reluctant elaboration.

‘At war?’

‘Sort of,’ Steve replied.

‘Sort of?’ asked Loki.

‘It’s a long story.’

‘So was my story,’ Loki pointed out.

‘You don’t know when to quit, do you?’ Steve retorted, sounding annoyed.

‘I was merely curious,’ Loki replied. ‘I thought we were sharing.’

‘ _You_ were, I never agreed to anything,’ Steve said, and he paused as he turned and looked behind him. Strewn out below them were the scattered trees of the park, and in the distance, the lights of London. It was rather lovely. Loki watched as Steve smiled softly, admiring the view.

‘Well, I suppose your mysterious origins will have you wait then,’ Loki said, watching Steve’s smile turn into a frown. ‘Oh, don’t look so sour.’

‘Then stop aggravating me,’ Steve answered.

‘I’m not aggravating you!’ countered Loki. ‘I was _enquiring_ -‘

‘Then stop enquiring,’ Steve interrupted. ‘And just enjoy the view.’

Against his own instinct, Loki did not respond to this, and did as Steve said. They stood there, looking at the view, and Steve’s smile had returned to him.

‘You know, you’re great, Loki,’ he said after a minute or so. ‘You just need to learn to shut up every once in a while.’

‘They’ve been trying for years, my good man,’ Loki said with a smirk. ‘Nobody has been successful yet.’

‘Maybe I’ll be the one to teach you,’ Steve said with a laugh. ‘Come on, let’s head back to the city.’

 

* * *

 

After another hour of walking and idle chatter, Loki and Steve made it back to the Odinson townhouse.

‘At least it stayed dry this time,’ Steve commented.

‘Yes, we’ve had enough strokes with pneumonia to last us a year,’ said Loki as he walked up the steps. ‘I’m sure I will see you again soon, Steve.’

‘Yeah, don’t be a stranger,’ Steve replied, and walked onwards with a wave of his hand.

Loki wandered inside and into the warm lounge, jumping slightly as he spotted Thor sitting on the chaise longue, looking at him with a grin on his face.

‘Oh, _there_ you are, my dear brother,’ he said. ‘I was wondering when you would reappear. Where on earth have you been all evening? Was that Steven Rogers I just spotted?’

‘Don’t bore me with these questions,’ Loki said with a huff, lazily throwing his coat over the back of the sofa.

‘I didn’t even see you leave the party, I had to find out from the host himself that you had gone off to frolic with Steve somewhere,’ said Thor. ‘I wasn’t sure if I had to wait for you to come back or not before leaving.’

‘I was convinced that I didn’t need to hold your hand to ensure you got back home,’ Loki responded. ‘It sounds like I was wrong.’

‘Oh, I was fine, Bruce held my hand for most of the way,’ Thor replied playfully. ‘Where did you go to?’

‘We went on a walk through Regent Park,’ replied Loki.

‘How lovely,’ said Thor. ‘Did you keep it civil?’

‘I did not argue with him, if that is what you mean,’ Loki answered. ‘Well, not really, anyway.’

‘That never sounds good, coming from you.’

‘Have a _little_ faith in me, brother,’ Loki said, pretending to be offended. ‘Say, maybe you know about the information I was after; why did Steve leave the military?’

‘Oh, _that’s_ what you harassed him about,’ Thor said, his face now serious. ‘He’s sensitive about that, you know.’

‘Well, I know _now,’_ said Loki. ‘He was not very open about it.’

‘And you’re usually not very tactful,’ commented Thor.

‘I bore my soul to him,’ exclaimed Loki. ‘I feel like it was only fair for him to tell _his_ secret.’

‘This, I doubt,’ Thor said. ‘You are about as unreserved as you are tactful.’

‘You’re avoiding my question,’ Loki noted. ‘Do you know why Steve retired?’

‘Yes, and it is not my place to tell anyone.’

‘But I’m your brother,’ Loki said, sighing dramatically as he let himself fall on the sofa. ‘Water is thicker than blood.’

‘He’ll tell you if he wishes too!’ Thor answered.

‘Thor,’ Loki said, getting off the sofa and going up to the other man. ‘Brother. In all earnest, I wouldn’t ever tell him what I know. You’re aware of how well I can keep secrets. This is between us, and only us, I promise.’

Thor sighed, but Loki knew that he had convinced him. ‘Well,’ he began. ‘His friend, who was also in the military, died. That is what he told me.’

‘Yes, I already knew that. I want to know the full story surrounding this friend,’ Loki said.

‘Oh, I do not know anything about that,’ Thor answered. ‘The extent of my knowledge is that his friend died, so he decided to retire.’

Loki blinked. ‘That is all you know? Christ, you’re not half as useful as you make yourself out to be.’

‘Hey, I take offence to that,’ said Thor, but his brother had already turned around and was heading back to the safety of his study.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> even though this fic is doing like, less than half as well as my other Marvel stuff, I'm going to stubbornly keep posting chapters because I had so much fun writing it. 
> 
> I decided to split the entire fic into two parts, and we're almost at the end of part 1!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hot summer days call for swimming in the river.

By the end of the following week, both brothers had returned to the countryside. The weather took a turn for the better, and the sun was out most days now. With summer fast approaching, it was pleasantly warm, and the garden in the villa was in full bloom. Loki’s favourite spot in front of the window was bathed in the sun every afternoon, casting the flowers in the yard below in a beautiful light. On this afternoon, Loki was dozing off on the cream sofa when he heard a familiar bark downstairs. Looking down, he saw Jenny scampering at the far side of the garden wall, with Steve close behind. The blonde man dazzled in the May sun, and he looked up and met Loki’s eyes. Loki smiled at him, and Steve waved, gesturing at him to come down. Loki dragged himself out of the patch of sun, strolled down the stairs and went outside, going up to the gate.

‘May I help you, Mr. Rogers?’ Loki asked with a grin as Steve went up to the gate.

‘Care to join me on a walk?’ asked Steve ‘Jenny misses you.’

‘Why, of course,’ Loki answered, and opened the gate to join Steve on the path. Jenny sprinted up to Loki and jumped up at his legs, before deciding that the forest floor was more interesting and running off again.

‘When did you get back?’ asked Steve. ‘The villa was quiet this week.’

‘Yesterday morning,’ answered Loki. ‘I stayed longer than intended, but I had a couple of meetings with the periodicals that I had to attend.’

‘Yeah, I noticed Thor was home earlier than you were,’ Steve commented. ‘Quite out of character for you.’

Loki chuckled softly in response.

‘I had dinner with him yesterday,’ continued Steve. ‘He told me he was staying in London for the month of June.’

‘Yes, my father will be visiting from Oslo,’ Loki said. ‘He’s staying in London, so Thor offered to go and meet him.’

‘Will you be going, too?’ asked Steve.

Loki shook his head. ‘Well, I’ll naturally be obliged to visit for a couple of days, but I do not intend to stay longer than needed. Besides, look how beautiful it can get here.’

He gestured to the newly blossomed leaves and the grass that was now vibrantly green.

‘It’s a shame the Season is so important to people,’ said Loki. ‘The countryside is so vibrant in the summer.’

‘I’ll be here,’ Steve said. ‘I don’t have a permanent place in London, anyway.’

‘Well, that’s be _some_ sort of company, I suppose,’ Loki said with an exaggerated sigh. Steve laughed and nudged Loki’s side. ‘Hey, Jenny and I are the best company you can get.’

‘If you say so.’

Steve took off his jacket, slinging it around his shoulder. ‘Man, it is hot today.’

‘It’s lovely,’ said Loki. ‘When Thor and I were younger, we used to go swimming in the river down there when it was this weather.’

He pointed in the direction from which the distant sound of rushing water could be heard.

After a beat, Steve asked, ‘Why don’t we do that now?’

‘What, go swimming?’

‘Yeah! Is that not something you English people do?’

‘It’s not something _adults_ do,’ Loki replied with a grimace.

‘Come on, it’ll be a great way to cool off,’ Steve insisted, already heading towards the way that Loki had pointed. Loki reluctantly followed him through the small, winding path until they reached the bank of the narrow river. The water glistened, and Loki could not help but admit that it looked quite refreshing. On the far side of it, there was a meadow, littered with yellow daffodils.

‘Come on,’ Steve said again, as he stripped himself of his shirt, laying it carefully on one of the rocks on the bank. Jenny ran past the two of them and launched herself into the river.

‘She’s got the right idea,’ Steve said with a grin, now dressed in only his underwear.

‘This is ridiculous,’ muttered Loki, but began to undress despite himself. Without much warning, Steve jumped into the river, whooping as the cold hit him. Loki attempted to suppress the urge to laugh at the strange American. He went up to the bank and sat down, sticking his feet into the river.

‘Steve, it’s _freezing_ ,’ he exclaimed.

‘Not if you jump in!’ called Steve, now at the other side of the bank. He threw a stick in the water for Jenny, who jumped in after it. Loki waded in a little deeper, and the cold dug into his legs. Steve was back in the water, swimming up to Loki, who was now waist deep.

‘Not so bad now, huh?’ he said, standing to full height. Loki suddenly felt very aware of Steve’s bare chest. Attempting not to gawk too much, he awkwardly replied. ‘I suppose not.’

Steve grinned, and dove underwater.

‘What-‘

Loki felt Steve’s hands wrap around his ankles as the other man pulled his feet out from under in, sending him flying backwards into the freezing water.

‘Steve!’ Loki shouted and spluttered, looking angrily at the blonde as he resurfaced.

‘I’m sorry, it was just so tempting,’ Steve laughed, falling back into the water.

Loki glared and swam around a bit, not willing to admit that it was a little better now that he had been fully submerged.

‘Aw, don’t look at me like that,’ Steve said, swimming up to Loki. ‘I’ll make it up to you, I’ll let you push me in.’

Loki tried to suppress his smile, and splashed Steve full in the face. Steve spluttered and laughed again, ‘Okay, that was fair, we’re even now.’

Loki floated around leisurely for a bit, watching Jenny, who had clambered back onto the bank. She had found a frog, it seemed, and was trying to get the small amphibian to play with her.

‘She’ll tear it to bits,’ Loki muttered, mostly to himself.

‘I’m going to go save it,’ announced Steve, as he swam up to the dog, pushing her away from the frog and picking it up gently in his hands. ‘There you go, bud.’

He gently placed the frog in the water and held Jenny by her collar until the frog and swam out of sight.

‘You should have kissed it,’ said Loki. ‘It might have been a prince. Or princess, in your case, I suppose.’

‘I’d rather have it be a prince,’ Steve murmured with a shy smile, mostly to himself. Loki raised his eyebrow, but didn’t comment, before he swam back to the bank and hauled himself out of the water. The sun shone between the trees, onto a comfortable patch of grass that Loki settled into. Steve clambered out after him, and went up to his clothes, rummaging through his pockets till he retrieved a notebook and a pencil. He sat down next to Loki, opening the notebook onto a new page, and began to sketch.

‘You draw?’ commented Loki.

‘Yes, I work as an illustrator these days,’ replied Steve.

‘Can I see?’

‘When I’m finished.’

Loki hummed and lay back in the grass, enjoying the sun on his face. He felt himself doze off after a while, to the sound of the stream, the scratching of Steve’s pencil and Jenny scuffling in the ground in the distance.

 

* * *

 

‘Loki.’

Loki stirred and opened his eyes. Blocking the sun was Steve’s head, looking down at him.

‘You look like an angel from here,’ Loki said sleepily. ‘The sun’s shining around your head like a halo.’

In his half-awake state, he reached up, gently caressing Steve’s hair, and ran his hand down his cheek. For a moment they lingered, before Steve cleared his throat and sat back.

‘You fell asleep,’ said Steve. ‘It’s been a while, we should probably be heading back.’

‘Hm.’ Loki sat up, his back feeling itchy from the grass he had been lying in. Steve had brought the rest of their clothes over, and was getting dressed again. Loki followed suit.

‘What did you end up drawing?’ asked Loki, once both of them were back on their feet and walking back.

‘Just the scenery, nothing interesting,’ answered Steve. He took the tiny sketchbook out of his pocket, flicking to the last page. It was a drawing of the river, vividly detailed, including Jenny in the corner lying in a patch of sunlight.

Loki smiled. ‘It’s very good.’

‘Thank you,’ replied Steve. They continued in along the path, enjoying the late afternoon sun.

‘May’s going to start to wonder where I keep taking the dog off to,’ Steve said with a laugh, as he checked his pocket watch for the time.

‘I’m sure she doesn’t mind the occasional break,’ replied Loki. They reached the garden wall, and Loki headed for the gate.

‘I’ll see you around, Loki,’ said Steve. ‘Maybe we can take a walk again this week.’

‘Yes, maybe,’ said Loki with a smile. ‘So long.’

Steve walked onwards as Loki went through the gate, going into the garden. However, the garden was not empty; sitting at the outdoor table were Doctor Banner and Thor. Both looked up in surprise as Loki entered.

‘Where on earth did you come from?’ asked Thor.

‘Your nose is sunburnt,’ Bruce noted.

‘Oh, nowhere,’ Loki replied, uncharacteristically breezily. Without any elaboration, he walked on inside, leaving his brother and his friend in the garden looking rather confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Call me by your name, WHO?? 
> 
> this was my second favourite chapter to write! also thank you all for your motivating and kind words in the previous chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stargazing makes the heart grow fonder.

As May went on, so did Loki and Steve’s relationship. The correspondence was plentiful, and every time Loki spotted Steve walking past the garden wall, he would join the other man. Thor, who was slowly catching on that he was often being used as a messenger, could not hide his curiosity from Loki very well at all. When Loki was reading in the lounge one evening, Thor was contemplatively looking at him from the sofa across from him. Loki ignored him at first. After a minute more, he looked up, irritably asking, ‘What?’

‘I’m calculating something in my head,’ said Thor. ‘…Yes, my hypothesis was right. You have seen Steven far more than you have seen me this week.’

‘Are you jealous?’ asked Loki, returning to his book. ‘Do you not have Bruce to shower you with attention? Or Valkyrie?’

‘I don’t mind the slightest, it gives me peace of mind,’ answered Thor with a smirk. ‘I’m merely curious about the nature of your relationship with our friend.’

Loki closed his book, laying it on his lap and scowling at Thor. ‘What are you implying?’

Thor sighed. ‘You always get so defensive, brother. I am honestly wondering how you feel towards Steve Rogers.’

‘I’m not defensive,’ said Loki defensively.

‘So tell me,’ said Thor. ‘Is this like it was between you and the Grand Master? Or like it was between me and Jane?’

‘Neither,’ said Loki curtly.

‘You spend most days with him,’ Thor pointed out. ‘And write to him most nights.’

Loki sighed, exasperated. ‘Thor, would you kindly mind your own business? We are close, that much is true.’

‘But you like him a great amount, do you not?’

Loki didn’t reply, and stubbornly opened his book again.

‘Brother, there is no shame in admitting these things,’ said Thor in an earnest voice. ‘I know you struggle with being vulnerable, but I support whatever you feel towards this man.’

‘Alright, Thor, enough with the seriousness,’ muttered Loki.

‘I am trying to be a good brother!’

‘You _are_ a good brother!’ exclaimed Loki. ‘This is just a difficult subject to talk about. In any case, at the moment there is nothing more between Mr. Rogers and I than friendship.’

‘Ah, at the moment,’ said Thor, looking smug. ‘Do you wish for something more to happen?’

Pretending to be focussed on his book again, Loki shrugged in response.

‘Well, that is more information about this than you’ve given me in months,’ said Thor, getting out of the sofa. ‘Good night, brother. I’m sure you’ll tell me more as time goes on.’

Before Thor left the room, Loki abruptly said, ‘Besides, I do not think Steve shares my affections.’

The words tumbled out, and Loki felt embarrassed about how small his voice sounded. He cleared his throat, refusing to look up at his elder brother, who had turned back around.

‘Oh Loki, I’m sure that’s not true,’ Thor said. ‘You have to keep in mind that he responds every time you write, and that he is at the garden wall most days waiting for you.’

Loki did not respond, still avoiding his brother’s gaze, but he appreciated the words nonetheless. Thor nodded once more to him before leaving the room.

 

* * *

 

The following evening, Loki had struck inspiration and spent most of the evening working in his study. He had not even noticed his brother leaving the house until the downstairs door opened and shut, signalling his return. Loki did not pay much attention until there was a knock on his door. He didn’t turn around when he heard the door creak open.

‘Go away,’ called Loki, assuming it was Thor.

A familiar, accented voice said, ‘Oh, sorry,’ and Loki swivelled around, seeing Steve standing in the doorframe.

‘Apologies,’ Loki said quickly. ‘I thought you were Thor. What are you doing here?’

‘I was having a drink with Thor, I walked back with him and thought I’d stop by and say hello,’ said Steve with a small smile. ‘So… hello.’

‘Hello,’ replied Loki, returning the smile.

Steve paused, leaning against the doorframe, before asking, ‘Want to see something cool?’

‘That depends on what it is.’

‘Follow me,’ Steve said, before turning around and heading down the stairs. Loki got up, curious on what the other man was planning, before following him down the stairs.

‘Get your coat,’ called Steve from the front door. He was holding one of the villa’s lanterns, usually used for walking into town when it was dark. Donning his coat, Loki went up to the front door as Steve marched outside.

‘What are you planning?’ asked Loki as he went outside as well. Steve waited for Loki to catch up, before linking his arm with Loki’s.

‘We’re just going for a walk,’ responded Steve cheerfully.

‘In the dark,’ stated Loki, eyebrows raised. ‘Are you going to murder me in the forest?’

‘If that was my intention, I would’ve done that a long time ago,’ said Steve with a laugh. ‘No, I just wanted to show you something.’

They didn’t walk far, but the woods felt foreign in the dark. Staying close to Steve, Loki looked around at the light that cast haunting shadows which danced brilliantly between the trees. There was no moon, and the lantern was the brightest source of light around them. It felt mystical; beautiful, even. Steve was relatively quiet as he led Loki through, across the familiar path until they reached a clearing. There was a meadow here, a gateway to the sky above them. Steve took off his coat, lay it down on the grass and sat down on it, pulling Loki down with him.

‘You’ve come all this way to show me a meadow in the dark?’ asked Loki, with a snort of laughter. Steve didn’t reply, and dimmed the lantern in his hand.

Loki gave him a look. ‘How are we going to get back now?’

‘Shh, look up,’ said Steve, pointing to the sky. With the only other light source gone, more and more stars began to appear as Loki’s eyes began to adjust. After a moment, the sky was ablaze with the cold light from millions and millions of miles away. The night lights stretched over the sky like a quilt, brighter still without the moon being present.

‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ breathed Steve. ‘They’re the brightest when your surroundings are the darkest.’

‘Yes, quite,’ murmured Loki, still not breaking his gaze from the painting that the universe was offering them. He felt Steve lean into him slightly, and he turned to face the other man. The stars reflected in Steve’s eyes as he looked up, before he turned and looked at Loki. Loki felt his heart leap a little as their gazes met.

‘Forgive me if I am misinterpreting this,’ Loki said softly, and before Steve could offer a response, he leant forward, gently placing a kiss on Steve’s lips. Before he could properly lean away, Steve’s hands were on the back of Loki’s head, pulling him back in and kissing him again. Loki’s stomach fluttered, and he could not help but smile into the kiss.

Steve pulled away, smiling bashfully back at Loki. ‘You weren’t misinterpreting anything.’

Feeling both flustered, elated and shy simultaneously, the only words that Loki managed to choke out were, ‘I’m glad.’ They sat there for a little while longer, their hands finding each other as they leant against one another, looking up at the stars.

It was getting rather chilly, however, and when Loki shivered slightly, Steve suggested that they should head back. Loki reluctantly agreed and got up with Steve, who linked their arms. With their eyes adjusted to the dark, the walk back was not too much of a hassle. They were quiet, and every now and then Loki stopped to look up at the stars again through the trees.

‘Next time, we should bring warmer jackets,’ said Loki, once they had reached the front door of the villa again. ‘We could stay out there all night.’

Steve chuckled slightly. ‘Who would’ve thought Loki Odinson would be such a romantic?’

Loki rolled his eyes but beamed, and Steve leant forward, kissing his cheek.

‘I’ll see you soon,’ Steve said. ‘I’ll come by tomorrow?’

‘Yes, if you want,’ Loki answered. ‘You could come by for lunch. Or dinner, or whenever you wish, really.’

He cursed himself for sounding as flustered as he did, but Steve took no notice, and gave his hand one last squeeze.

‘Lunch it is, then,’ Steve said, and let go, walking up the drive. After a couple of yards, he turned around and gave Loki another wave, before disappearing around the bend. Loki tried his best to wipe his grin off his face and straighten himself out before he went inside, but to no avail. He walked into the lounge, expecting it to be empty, but Loki’s luck was not in his favour as he found his brother still awake, reading under a single light.

‘Did you have a nice walk?’ asked Thor with a teasing grin.

‘Lovely, thanks,’ Loki replied, attempting to sound curt but failing to do so entirely.

‘You’re positively beaming,’ Thor commented.

Loki shrugged. ‘What can I say? For once in your life, brother, you seem to have been proven right.’

He turned and moved upstairs, still smiling to himself, before Thor could begin asking any questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About damn time, eh?


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor finds out.

‘Loki!’

Thor barged through to the garden the next morning, and Loki looked up from his conversation with Steve, who was sitting across from him. They had only just commenced lunch, and Loki had felt unusually shy about the matter. While he was glad for the momentary distraction, he scowled at his brother all the same.

‘Oh, good afternoon, Steven,’ said Thor, when he saw the man sitting at the table. He placed a couple of envelopes on the table next to Loki.

‘What is this?’ asked Loki, frowning.

‘The invitations you have to choose from,’ said Thor. ‘Father insisted that you come along to an event while he is down in London, so these are the invites we’ve received for June.’

‘Oh, splendid,’ muttered Loki dryly, as he looked through the stack of paper. ‘ _Another_ Stark event? That man has too much money to spend, does he not? And who on earth is Quill? Steven Strange, no, that sounds awful-‘

Steve looked rather amused. ‘I think turning down every one of these kind of negates the point, Loki.’

‘I’m not going to waste my turn on something I won’t despise every moment of,’ replied Loki.

‘Your turn?’

‘Loki and I had a deal that he had to attend two events this Season, and we each have to choose one,’ Thor explained.

Steve chuckled and said, ‘Sounds reasonable enough. Did you receive the Romanoff invitation? I’m going to that, she’s a friend of mine. That won’t be so bad.’

Loki picked through the letters until he found one that was, indeed, signed by a Romanoff. ‘Here.’

Thor peered over Loki’s shoulder. ‘A week after Father arrives, that’ll do.’

‘Fine,’ said Loki with a sigh. ‘We’ll go to that. At least I’ll have a familiar face there.’

Steve looked pleased and reached over, giving Loki’s hand a squeeze. Thor pretended not to notice but smiled to himself as he took the remainder of the invitations before he headed back inside.

‘Do you really hate going to London that much?’ asked Steve.

‘I do not hate London per se, I just don’t enjoy the people that attend these parties,’ answered Loki, going back to his tea.

‘Surely they’re not that bad.’

‘No, not to you, they’re not,’ said Loki. ‘But much of London’s society despises me.’

‘Well, you don’t act really welcoming towards them either,’ Steve countered. ‘Remember the first time you met me?’

‘That is because they have treated me like dirt since I have known them,’ retorted Loki, glaring at the other man.

‘Are you sure that you’re not overreacting a little?’

Loki sighed irritably, before saying, ‘I do not expect you to understand the ins and outs of class culture in England, but the fact that I was taken in after living as a criminal on the street is not something that the high society of London can appreciate. For as long as I have been trying to take part in this lifestyle, they have given myself and the Odinson family grief for it. I am not overreacting, I am merely reacting to years of being looked down upon for a life that I had no choice in. If that is difficult to perceive or accept, I suggest you take your leave. Good afternoon, _Mr. Rogers_.’ 

Loki stood up, preparing to theatrically storm away inside, but Steve quickly got up as well and took his hand.

‘Hey, hey, hold on, I’m sorry,’ Steve said quickly. ‘You’re right, I don’t know anything about that.’

He walked around the table and wrapped his arms around Loki’s waist, pulling him closer. Loki huffed, but made no inclination to move away from Steve.

‘I’m sorry,’ repeated Steve. ‘I shouldn’t have assumed anything.’

‘No, you should not have,’ Loki agreed grumpily.

‘Do you still want me to leave?’

‘I suppose you can stay,’ Loki said, feigning indifference. ‘Though you will have to let me go before Thor sees us like this.’

Steve smiled gently and let him go, before sitting back down. ‘For what it’s worth, I’m glad you told me why high society is so difficult for you.’

‘Yes, well,’ Loki muttered. ‘It’s a delicate subject.’

‘I feel like everything in England is a delicate subject.’

Loki grimaced and answered, ‘You’re not wrong.’

 

* * *

 

The first time that Steve spent the night led into the morning that Thor was supposed to leave for London for the month. Loki woke up, and had momentarily forgotten there was another man in his bed until he stretched and his arm smacked the still-sleeping Steve in his face. The blonde man’s face scrunched up, and his eyes flickered open.

‘Sorry,’ whispered Loki. ‘I did not mean to wake you.’

Steve muttered something along the lines of _‘s’okay’_ and closed his eyes again, wrapping one arm around Loki’s waist and pulling him closer. Loki scould not shake unfamiliarity with the intimacy. With his last lover, Loki had the tendency to leave before morning broke whenever he stayed over. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had expected Steve to do the same; yet here he was, wrapped around him, his breath tickling the top of Loki’s head.  Hearing the sounds of feet and trunks being moved outside of the door, Loki guessed that Thor would be leaving soon. Though he should most definitely get up to say goodbye, Loki was far too comfortably lying next to Steve. Caressing the other man’s chest, he admired Steve, peaceful in his sleep. Loki reached to Steve’s face, tracing his eyebrow and the outline of his jaw with his finger. Steve’s eyes flickered open once more.

‘What are you doing?’ the blonde asked sleepily, with a slight laugh.

‘Nothing,’ Loki murmured. ‘Go back to sleep.’

Steve hummed, but the peace was disturbed as there was a loud knock on the door.

‘Loki!’ Thor’s voice boomed from the hallway. ‘Are you decent? I’m about to leave!’

Loki groaned, and called back, ‘Hold on!’

Steve stretched, and swiftly reached over the side of the bed and threw their clothes onto the bed from where they had been abandoned the previous night.

‘Do you think Thor would take it badly if I didn’t say goodbye to him?’ Loki murmured. ‘We’ll be in London next week, anyway.’

Steve rolled his eyes and pulled the covers off Loki. ‘Come on, be a good sibling.’

Loki sighed dramatically before rolling out of the bed and pulling on the clothes that Steve had thrown him.

‘Nice shirt,’ said Steve with a grin.

Loki was, indeed, a bit swamped in the shirt- Steve’s, evidently. He gave the blonde a look. Steve laughed, before there was a second knock on the door.

‘Loki?’ called Thor again from the other side, and Loki heard the door knob turn. He sprinted to the door to stop it from opening any more than an inch.

‘May I _help_ you?’ asked Loki, annoyed. 

‘I’m leaving,’ Thor stated.

‘Well, goodbye then,’ Loki answered, attempting to close the door again.

‘I meant to ask, when will you be coming to town?’ asked Thor, pushing the door open. ‘And why are you being so secretive- Oh!’

‘Hello,’ Steve said sheepishly as Thor spotted him lying in Loki’s bed.

‘I apologise!’ Thor exclaimed, pulling the door closed to an inch again, but continued to Loki, ‘Though I would like to know when you arrive in Lon-‘

‘Next Friday. Goodbye now, Thor,’ Loki said irritably, now closing the door.

‘Goodbye!’ Thor called through the door. ‘Goodbye, Steven!’

‘See you next week!’ Steve called back to the door. Loki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Well, now he knows.’

‘I have a feeling he knew before,’ Steve said with a laugh. ‘Relax, come back to bed.’

Loki sighed dramatically again and threw himself next to Steve on the bed. Steve shuffled closer to him, kissing his forehead. Loki smiled and wrapped around his side, weaving a hand through Steve’s hair.

‘Will you stay here this week?’ murmured Loki.

‘Of course,’ Steve replied with a smile. ‘If you’ll have me.’

‘Always.’

Steve undid the top buttons of the shirt that Loki was wearing. ‘Of course, only if that means that we get to laze around all day.’

‘Despite popular opinion, I do actually have a job, Steve, and so do you.’

‘We’ll work from bed,’ said Steve, kissing Loki’s neck.

Loki chuckled, ‘Yes, of course that’ll be very efficient.’

From downstairs, he heard the front door slam.

‘That’s the signal,’ said Steve with a grin. ‘Let’s get you out of my clothes.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of part 1! Thank you to everyone reading!!


End file.
